An Islamic State militant, who has confessed to the killing of 39 people at an İstanbul nightclub on New Year's Day, told a court that he had aimed to kill Christians during his attack.
"I did not take part in any acts before the Reina event. I thought of carrying out an act against Christians on their holiday, to take revenge for their killing acts across the world. My goal was to kill Christians," Sabah newspaper quoted him as saying in a court document.
But Mahsaripov, an Uzbek gunman, initially planned to attack the area around Taksim Square but switched to the upscale Reina nightclub due to the heightened security measures around the square, said in his first testimony. Turks, as well as visitors from several Arab nations, India and Canada, were among those killed in the attack.
During questioning by the 11th Criminal Court on duty of İstanbul this weekend, he told officials he would prefer the death penalty as a sentence. Masharipov said he already tried to kill himself when he stormed the Reina nightclub where he randomly fired on revellers but failed. "It would be better if a death penalty was ruled. I threw the stun grenades after my ammunition had finished, nothing happened. I remained alive, but I had gone to die there," pro-government Sabah quoted him as saying in the court document.
Turkey formally abandoned the death penalty in 2002 as part of its European Union accession talks, and its restoration would probably spell the end of Turkey's talks to join the bloc. President Tayyip Erdoğan has revived the question of reintroducing the punishment in the wake of a failed July coup, saying he would approve the change if parliament passed it.
"Why do they say I work against Turkey or am against Turkey? I don't think I did anything against the Turkish republic, I did not do anything against Turkey. I took revenge. I do not regret what I did. I believe I retaliated," Masharipov said according to Sabah.
Islamic State claimed responsibility the day after the attack, saying it was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria. Turkish army launched a campaign inside Syria on August 24 codenamed Euphrates Shield to clean its border from IS jihadists and stop the advance of Kurdish militia.
Mashapirov was caught in a police raid in Istanbul on Jan. 16 and was formally charged with membership of an armed terrorist group, multiple counts of murder, possession of heavy weapons and attempting to overturn the constitutional order, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
